Dana Incorporated's motor and inverter joint venture, TM4, announces it has reached a major milestone with the production of its 12,000th TM4 SUMO electric powertrain for buses and commercial vehicles in China.
Initially introduced for the fast-growing Chinese market, TM4 SUMO systems are operating on electric buses in more than 20 cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Suzhou, Chongqing, Shenzhen. Key Chinese original equipment-customers include Higer, Yaxing, Foton, Yinlong, and King Long.
"Our goal is to provide our customers around the world with a powerful and convenient solution to support their e-mobility initiatives," says Christophe Dominiak, chief technology officer for Dana. "The TM4 SUMO direct-drive electric powertrain is a proven, industry-leading solution that has been quickly adopted in China for its high efficiency, reliability, ease of integration, and low maintenance. We are also quickly gaining market share in Europe, North America, and India, positioning Dana as a market leader in electrodynamic solutions."
Developed for performance and durability, the TM4 SUMO system is optimized for medium- and heavy-duty electric and hybrid vehicles, such as six-to-18-meter buses, delivery trucks, and shuttles. By allowing direct drive operation, the system reduces powertrain complexity, creating for a simple, efficient and low-maintenance solution. A direct drive system yields more than 10 percent efficiency gains throughout the driving cycle, representing an equivalent gain in battery usage.
The TM4 SUMO systems can be optimized to offer the best driveline efficiencies to different vehicle platforms based on selected duty cycles. The systems are designed and engineered at TM4 in Boucherville, Québec, Canada, and manufactured by its Chinese joint-venture, Prestolite E-Propulsion Systems in Weifang, Shandong province. Both are equipped with high volume, flexible, and automated production lines, and a large range of dynamometers and test cells, making it possible to conduct full validation and certification of electric and hybrid powertrains.
Prestolite E-Propulsion Systems (PEPS) is a joint venture between TM4 and Prestolite Electric Beijing Limited. TM4 is a joint-venture between Dana and Hydro-Québec, Canada's largest electricity producer and one of the world's largest hydroelectric power producers.
